Just wanting to get everyones opinion on what is the best for them:

Pilates? bike? treadmill? reformer pilates? walking outside? balance ball? pool?

If you can give me what kind you do and what benefits you have gotten... ie... less pain... weight loss... etc... I would apppreciate it!!

my best
Hannah

I'm using the balance ball and the two small ones that do the same thing as weights. I just like using them better then the hand held weights.

While in PT they showed me some exercises with them and Wal-Mart has the whole set for less then 20. but a video and instructions.

I can't do the weights and I can't do the treatmill. I use to love to take walks but it is either too hot or too cold around here and several times I didn't think I could make it back home due to leg problems.

I can't swim and I am just not a water person anymore even though we have a city pool 3 blocks from us. They do exercises in them but again it's just not for me. I found I can watch tv and use the balls to exercise while watching shows.

Good luck,
Ada

My favorite is the warm water pool, but my ears can't tolerate loud noises and our municipal pool facility is HUGE and full of people. The therapy pool area is awesome, though, its a bummer I can't make use of it. My work schedule also makes it hard for me to get there during the hours the pool is open to the general public.

So instead I am a walker. I still have my feet. My RSD is largely confined to my upper right extremity, my head, and my right leg, although I tend to get symptoms that roam in other places in my body at times, too. In the winter when it was really cold I bundled up well before I went out. And I have friends that I meet with my dog and we all walk together, so its fun. There is always a scheduled time in my neighborhood in the morning before work that the dog walkers meet.

I have a lot of trouble using my arms, in that too much exertion causes excrutiating head pain. I have to be really careful how much I use them.

Walking in the city where I work is difficult because of the noise - there always seems to be something loud going on - construction, buses, beeping horns, etc. It is tortuous!! But I do try to get out at lunch time and head to a quiet nieghborhood for a quick walk as fast as I can when the weather is nice.

I have gone through some bad times with my feet, where they become swollen and painful and numb, especially my right ankle which tends to swell quite a bit. I think that by walking on them all the time I have kept them pretty mobile.

Good luck. You won't know how something works until you try it...

xoxox Sandy

Sandy! I am the same way... I am trying everything and have done a wide array of everything. It might sound weird but I dont like to be wet... so the pool thing didnt work, but it felt amazing on my body. I go in the pool in Palm Springs in the hot springs pools and they work miracles.

I am VERY limited to my arms too. Lifting my arms up too much without weights bothers them alot, and i get a massive headache and feel like I am going to pass out. Even walking at night just having my arms hang down is really painful which is why I am reluctant to do it because I know a flare is coming....I am going to take on walking around the neighborhood on again more often... I have gotten lazy lately because by the time my day is done the LAST thing i want to even think about is to get up and exercise on my painful feet.

I just am wanting input on what works for you guys... it helps get me motivated that it will help me...

I have given up most exercises I did prior to my shoulder surgery and subsequent CRPS. I still go to the gym and do selected exercises but that tends to cause a flare up. All through the entire CRPS experience walking always seemed to provide temporary relief and distract me from the pain. I do look forward to my walks!

Hi Hannah,

If it hurts to have your arms hang down, maybe you could try wearring try wearing a jacket with pockets. I tend to wear my kids' hoodie sweatshirts or pullover windbreakers, which have pockets that I stick my bad right hand in. It was the only way I could walk for the first few years that I had RSD. When it starts getting hot out I try to walk in shorts that also have a pocket for my bad hand. It makes a big difference...

XOXOX Sandy

I do the pool when I can..though I wish the water was warmer. (LA fitness). I have just started to thing that maybe the bike would be ok to try and weights for the upper body. I also have the balance balls. I would LOVE to walk but my feet would hurt too badly. =(

J